Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement after 15 months of devastating war that left Gaza – home to 2.3 million Palestinians – in ruins.

On Wednesday, Hamas approved the agreement, which is expected to be implemented in three stages starting on Sunday.

The Israeli Cabinet meeting, which was expected to approve it on Thursday, has been postponed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of being responsible for the “last-minute crisis.” Netanyahu’s far-right allies refused to support the agreement.

Al Jazeera’s Hamda Salhout said from Amman that the delay shows the internal political conflict within Netanyahu’s coalition government.

The three-month agreement will witness an increase in humanitarian aid, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of Israeli prisoners in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The agreement, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, also addresses post-war reconstruction efforts in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 60 percent of buildings have been destroyed or damaged in the ongoing Israeli bombing since October 7, 2023.

January 19 (first day)

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced on Wednesday that the deal will go into effect starting Sunday, when the first Israeli prisoners are expected to be released and the guns silenced.

Al Jazeera’s Tariq Abu Azoum, from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, said the situation on the ground is a mixture of cautious relief, hope and ongoing sadness.

“Civilians are still completely afraid of the expansion of attacks in Gaza over the next 72 hours,” he added, adding that more than 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in the past day.

Abu Azoum said that the agreement stipulates that about 600 humanitarian aid trucks will be allowed to enter the Strip on a daily basis. He added: “But Israel has a very long history of violations regarding adherence to ceasefire agreements.”

She called on relief agencies to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza without hindrance Perhaps famine took hold.

Relatives and supporters of the Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza reacted to news of the deal.

Evat Calderon, cousin of Israeli prisoner Ofer Calderon, said in Tel Aviv that she feels happy, but also “very worried that this will actually happen.”

“It will be a huge relief, first of all, when I see Ofer,” she said. “Secondly, when I see the last hostages crossing the border. And we will be here protesting every day until that happens because I don’t know if it will happen or not.

January 25 (seventh day)

On the seventh day, internally displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to northern Gaza, which has been under a deadly military siege since October, without carrying weapons and without being searched via Al-Rashid Street.

Cars and any non-pedestrian movement will be allowed to return north of the Netzarim Corridor, which divides Gaza between north and south, after vehicle inspection, which will be carried out by a private company decided by mediators in coordination with the Israeli side.

Many Palestinians told Al Jazeera that they plan to return to their cities and villages as soon as they have the opportunity. More than 90% of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced due to the war.

Umm Muhammad, a 66-year-old woman who lost two of her ten children in Israeli bombing, told Al Jazeera: “Once a ceasefire is reached, I will return and accept my land in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.”

February 3 (Day 16)

No later than the sixteenth day after the start of the ceasefire, the parties agreed to begin negotiations on the second phase.

February 9 (Day 22)

On the 22nd day, civilians will be allowed to return north from Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets without inspection.

March 1 (day 42)

This marks the end of the first stage. By this date, 33 Israeli prisoners were supposed to be released compared to 100 Palestinian prisoners.

It is also the beginning of the second phase if all goes according to plan. This includes the release of the remaining prisoners, believed to number 65. In return, Israel is committed to withdrawing from Gaza and respecting a permanent ceasefire. Up to 94 Israeli prisoners, alive or dead, will be released in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinians. Nearly 30 of the 94 captives are believed to have died.

Israeli forces must also begin their withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt.

However, Israel insisted that no written guarantees would be given to rule out the resumption of hostilities. Hamas reportedly received verbal assurances from Egypt, Qatar and the United States that negotiations would continue.

March 9 (Day 50)

By this date, Israel was supposed to have completed the complete withdrawal of its forces from the Philadelphia Corridor.

April 12 (Day 84)

This is when the third stage should begin. Details are still unclear. If the conditions of the second phase are met, the bodies of the remaining prisoners will be handed over in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan to be implemented under international supervision.

There is currently no agreement on who will run Gaza after the ceasefire. The United States has pushed for a modified version of the Palestinian Authority to do this.